


Follow the light

by snowynight



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alien Culture, Angst, Character Study, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-04
Updated: 2011-04-04
Packaged: 2017-10-17 14:08:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/177645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowynight/pseuds/snowynight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Many things happened in Teyla's life, but this memory stayed as new as yesterday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Follow the light

Young Teyla went near the camp fire tended by her mother and asked, “Mother, may I ask you a question?”

Her mother didn’t pause her work. “Sure.”

“Today I came to the fair with father, and a Satedan boy said that we Athosians were too soft and weak. He said that we had too much festivals. I nearly fought with him but Sora interrupted. Anyway, I want to ask if there is really something wrong with our festivals.”

Her mother turned to her and pointed to the sky, “Teyla, do you know the story behind that star? ”

“No, please tell me, mother.”

“Once upon a time there was a girl who decided that she should try everything to prepare for a wraith attack. At first, she practised sparring and running every moment she could spare and her parents praised her for her effort, but when she ran and ran and seemed not able to stop again, her parents started to get worried and said, “Amini, (That’s the girl’s name), preparation’s good, but it ‘s not a way to live.” But Amini ignored them. Finally a wraith attack did come. Amini’s effort paid off and survived. But when she looked at the dead and the people who cried for them, she found that she couldn’t shed a tear because she hardly knew them, with her time completely devoted to a fight. Now she hardly have anything to live for, except for the next wraith attack. She asked an Ancestor what to do, and the Ancestor put her into the sky to become a star, watching over her people. Honorable, but lonely.”

“What’s the meaning of this story?”

“We need to fight and run to live, but we must remember what to live and die for. We're not merely indulging in the pleasure of the body, but also to celebrate the fact we survived yesterday, we survive today, and with the blessing of the Ancestors, we’ll survive tomorrow.”

“I see.”

“Good, now let’s join me. We still have work to do.”

Many things happened in the years that passed by. Teyla witnessed birth and death, built a sometimes shaky alliance with people from the other world, faced a hive ship. The memory of her childhood faded like the smoke rising from a cup of tea, but strangely this memory still remained clear like a crystal that was always found in the Ancestors’ city. This night she stayed in the remains of her people’s village, putting a hand over her stomach, feeling the movement of her child, and she thought of her mother’s story. She lightened up the fire and sang the same song like how her mother did in every year’s festival. It was a pale imitation of what her people did every year, but she knew that the most important thing was to hope and remember. Just like the song and the dance persisted with the time, she would once again meet her people again.

She hoped so.


End file.
